Improving ILI benchmarking through new technology

摘要

This article was first presented at the Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference held in Prague, CzechnRepublic, in October 2011, and organised by Tiratsoo Technical and Clarion Technical Conferences.nIn this article the history of in-line inspection (ILI) is discussed, benchmarking from the first magnetic markersnthrough the current dual-clock time-based systems, including the most recent improvements made in this field. Sincenits inception almost 40 years ago, ILI technology has evolved to become a standard inspection technique for pipelines.nThe earliest ILI tools lacked odometers, and as a result locating anomalies on the pipeline from ILI data alone provednextremely difficult. Following the advent of odometers came the introduction of above-ground marker (AGM) systemsnwhich served to provide reference benchmarks that reduced the pipeline distances measured, thereby reducingnmeasurement errors. The most recent AGM developments include multiple-sensor logging, capable of recordingnmagnetic, 22-hertz (Hz), and acoustic data concurrently, along with integrated modem technologies which allownremote system monitoring. These innovations now allow safer, more reliable pig tracking and ILI benchmarking.nA case study outlining a direct comparison of two conventional AGM technologies with a new remote-monitorednmultiple sensor system is discussed.